We need more young servant leaders in our country

We need more young leaders today. The halls of structural power must be replaced with halls of servant leaders—those with a track record of service and principled leadership who will flourish as they deepen their commitment to social justice.

An educational background could be an impressive indicator, but integrity matters most. We need more youth who will live by the standards of our heroes and servant leaders. They should not be attracted to bribery or to usurping positions in public office for profitable gain or for the benefit of family and friends.

We abhor leaders who are famous for their notoriety in corruption, without shame, remorse, or accountability. We should not entrust our nation to young bureaucrat capitalists whose power does not rest on true servanthood but on defending and protecting dynastic patronage politics. They can be likened to what Jesus referred to as the brood of vipers.

With the current shameful record of corruption among leaders and lawmakers, we wonder how positions of leadership are wasted on this brood of vultures, pigs, and crocodiles (apologies to the animals). We are a nation of more than 116 million; the democratic representation of leadership must come from sectors that are victims of violence, injustice, and corruption. Farmers, workers, health workers, educators, youth, nationalist business people, artists and scientists, professionals, and credible bureaucrats must be justly represented so that they can genuinely aspire and work for meaningful change in our society.

Past and present dedicated youth in our country bear testimony that hope is for those who dare stand for our people and our nation. Lorena Barros, cofounder of the Malayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan (Free Movement of New Women) or Makibaka summarized the Filipino woman question: “Women comprise more than half of the oppressed Filipino people … This second type of oppression is justified by feudal conservatism, which relegates women to the category of domestic chattel, and by a decadent bourgeois misrepresentation of women as mere pleasurable objects.”

Edgar Jopson, known as “Edjop,” exemplified courage, patriotism, resistance, and service to the poor. As president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, he led humanitarian efforts for farmers and environmental initiatives before martial law. Later, he organized labor strikes and joined the revolutionary movement, risking his life for justice until his capture and execution during a military raid.

We are a nation that would never run out of youth who are ready to offer the best of their gifts for our people and country. The commitment and passion they represent characterize a movement for meaningful change and reform. We need more of them. The recent actions of youth against corruption and their demand for system change bring brighter hope. It is not about adventurism. One mother whose daughter was a young martyr once told me, “I know the mission of my daughter is not just an adventure. It is a commitment that every youth can have.”

Our optimism about the power of youth in pursuing system change springs from our historical journey as a people. It has been proven that young people are capable. We need to encourage the present youth to carry on the fire of devotion in serving our country.